TomAiello

It's not so much that a smaller canopy would be preferable, but that a smaller canopy would be acceptable in higher winds. With more wind to land into, you'd be able to slow down the canopy's (relatively) faster forward speed and still be able to land. In short, small canopies are ok when you have a good wind to land into, big canopies are ok all the time. This really doesn't depend on wind direction at opening--it's almost entirely a function of wind direction at landing. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I tend to agree with you on foreign policy. Using diplomacy, rather than force, and trying to get along is pretty much the "right" way to conduct foreign policy. Being influenced by opinion polls in foreign nations, such that I change my vote here? I think that's a little too far. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Common courtesy is good. Walking into your neighbors house and telling him he must move his TV antenna is bad. I guess what I'm driving at is that there is a difference between organizing your life a certain way and believing that everyone else ought to organize their lives in the same way. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I'd definitely say this is true. We have a whole different set of values. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

How about: Because my wife cooks to my tastes, which are different from the tastes of 81% of those who have tried her cooking. Same as political leaders in a democracy. They lead to the tastes of those who elected them. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

From my initial post in this thread: -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Look at it this way. I don't believe I care what you think of how my wife and I run our household. I don't care which of us you think ought to cook, or which you think ought to be on top in bed. I don't care if you disapprove of our choice of television programs, or how we decide to raise out children. I don't like the missionaries who knock on my door and try to convince me I ought to be living by their interpretation of God's rules. I don't want busybody neighbors who try to tell me how to mow my lawn. I don't like the government telling me what weapons I'm allowed to have. You're welcome to manage your own household your own way. But walking into someone else's and telling them how they ought to run it is basically just rude. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Why? Truthfully, I don't see that public opinion in the rest of the world is terribly important to how we conduct our own affairs. The US has a long history of meddling in the internal politics of sovereign nations. I think it's a bad idea. I think it's an equally bad idea to have other nations meddling in the internal politics of the US. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I hope it brings some peace to this forum. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

That's serious understatement, in so many ways. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Your turn, tough guy. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Tom Aiello Age: 32 Height and weight: 5’7", 195 pounds Birthplace: San Luis Obispo, Ca Marital status: Married to the most wonderful woman in the world. Occupation: Still trying to figure that out. Hobbies: BASE jumping, MINI Coopers, Working on my house, Reading, Watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer Harness and container: Prism (1), Basic Research; Gargoyle, Morpheus Technologies Parachute: Troll 290 MDV, Atair Aerodynamics; Black Jack 280, Consolidated Rigging Home dropzone: Don't have one. But there is this nice bridge by my house... Records or awards: Unlikely to ever have any. Pet peeves: People who worry too much about what everyone else is up to, and not enough about themselves. What is your favorite quote? Real BASE jumpers are rebels more than freedom fighters. The good ones seek neither publicity, permission, nor support. They are the last cowboys of aviation and when gone this sport will be just another pastime, like golf or bowling. ~ Nick di Giovanni. What is your philosophy on life? When it comes down to it, all that really matters is the people--how you effect them, how they effect you, and how we each effect ourselves. What is something most people don’t know about you? I've been collecting quotations for more than 10 years. I have almost 30 pages of them, and I once decorated my apartment exclusively with quotes. Who has inspired you in BASE jumping? Dwain Weston, Yuri Kuznetsov What is your most memorable BASE jumping moment? Spending all day finding an exit by carrying around a magazine article with a full page photo of Frank Gamballie exiting there. It turned out to be an incredibly challenging and intense jump. The only people who knew I was there were the climbers on the wall. Afterward, one of them asked me why I hadn't at least asked for a picture, and I responded "I'm not really in it for that." Describe Tom Aiello in five words or less: A few years ago it would have been: "Everybody's got to die sometime." Now? How about "Not sure where this goes." I BASE jump because… ...of the people. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I'll do one if you'll do one. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

General warning (not to Zennie): If this thread degenerates into an argument about religion I will move it into Speaker's Corner. Thanks! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I hadn't read that anywhere in the article. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

There's a lot of interpersonal argument here that really ought to remain private, between the parties involved, I think. Let's close this discussion, and try to take our personal differences back to private correspondence. Thanks. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I am. It's really no problem. In fact, I'd say there are a huge number of jumpers with some kind of hardware in them. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

And I have nothing to add to that. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Ease down there. She's only trying to help. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

And oh, again. I am at a loss for words. The Australian BASE community must be reeling. My heart goes out to you all. I've heard rumor of this jumpers identity. Please do not post names until they are released in the press. As I said, I am at a loss... edit: news server apparently requires login, story below -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

It seems to me that the vast majority of disenfranchised voters (i.e. folks whose votes "don't matter" because their state is in no danger of swinging--meaning most of the voting population) are conservatives in liberal states (for example, how many Republican votes just don't count because they are cast in California or New York?). By contrast, the states where the liberals are disenfranchised tend to be places (Texas aside) like Idaho and Montana, where there are very few votes being cast anyway. I wonder what effect changing the vote to a "proportional by state" electoral college would have? I'm guessing we'd see a major swing to more conservative executives. Anyone want to crunch the numbers from the last election and see? Another thought: I'd hate to see either party seize on this as a tactic, and try to push through proportional electors in the name of "fairness", but only in states where their voters are the disenfranchised ones. In this case, it might actually be better to take care of this at the federal level, rather than letting it become a political hockey puck in the various states. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Since 9/11, I've flown 12 times (including 4 international flights) with a hook knife in my carry on. I think the TSA just has a long list of "can't have it" items, and somehow hook knife didn't make the list. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I believe TruckerBASE's method is to have a Tom Aiello grab the tower and see if he gets fried... -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Have you called Apex (formerly BR) in Perris Valley? They probably have a good hand on who's local and friendly. edit: to add link -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com